Aurora Lodge No. 54, Free and Accepted Masons, Prince
Hall Affiliate, and New Aurora Chapter No. 60, Order of the Eastern Star, are located across the street from Thankful Missionary Baptist
Church. Aurora Lodge No. 54 was started in 1883. The two-story, brick building was constructed in the 1950s. The organizations meet on the second floor. At one point, a store was open on the first floor.
The Thankful Missionary Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Georgia, was founded in 1878. It was part of the Walker Baptist Association, which comprised of Black churches in and around the greater Augusta, Georgia area.
The two-tower church differs from many of the two-tower churches seen around the rural South. Most include a gable in the middle. This one utilizes a flat roofline. The church was built in 1923 in the Romanesque Revival style. Romanesque Revival, in its most modest form, like this church, includes brick, towers, and arched entranceways.
A Japanese pagoda–style ranch built in 1962 by contractor Fred Lee Hylick is located in the historic Collier Heights, one of the first upscale communities in the nation built exclusively by Black planners, architects, and construction companies. Hylick advertised himself as “The House Surgeon for Home Modernization.”
Thanks to Archive Atlanta for introducing me to this great house.
Driving down East Main Street from downtown, there aren’t many homes left from the early days of Spartanburg. Located near Converse College (now University) is the family home of Dr. Hugh Ratchford and Mary Snoddy Black. Growing up in Spartanburg, everyone knew the Black family name because of Mary Black Hospital, the hospital that Dr. Black and his sons (also doctors) founded and named after Mrs. Black.
This 1917 Craftsman was home to several generations of the Black family. It is no longer a family residence; it is now used commercially.
On the corner of S. Pine and E. Henry Streets in Spartanburg, South Carolina, there sits the Sugar-n-Spice Drive-In restaurant. Opened in 1961 by Pete Copses and John Stathakis, the restaurant became a local favorite known for its souvlaki.
The restaurant began with drive-in and counter service. In the 1970s, a renovation added a sit-down restaurant and removed the drive-in option.
The restaurant is still very popular. Over the years, as I have grown to appreciate mid-century architecture, it took me many tries on visits to my hometownto catch the parking lot empty with good light.
